There is an erasing apparatus that erases an image from a sheet subjected to image formation. The erasing apparatus includes an erasing section that applies heating treatment to a sheet, on which an image is formed with a decolorable coloring material, to erase a color of the image (the coloring material) on the sheet. The erasing apparatus further includes a reading section that reads the image on a surface of the sheet. The erasing apparatus makes, on the basis of the image read by the reading section, a determination whether the sheet to be subjected to erasing processing is erasable and a determination whether the erasing processing is successful.
The reading section of the erasing apparatus reads respective images on a first surface and a second surface of a conveyed sheet. The reading section of the erasing apparatus includes, for example, two reading units arranged to be opposed to each other along a sheet conveying path and enables duplex reading of the images on the conveyed sheet.
In the erasing apparatus to which the sheet is conveyed, a jam is likely to occur in anyplace in the sheet conveying path. Therefore, the sheet conveying path of the erasing apparatus needs to be opened in order to remove a jammed sheet even in a place of the sheet conveying path where the reading section is arranged.
On the other hand, not only the erasing apparatus but also a sheet processing apparatus including a sheet conveying path for conveying a sheet to the inside of a machine body conveys the sheet through the sheet conveying path and performs various kinds of processing. The jam is likely to occur in anyplace in the sheet conveying path. Therefore, the sheet conveying path needs to be opened in order to remove the jammed sheet.
However, if an opening section to be pivoted in order to open the conveying path is thick, irrespective of in which portion of the opening section a fulcrum of the pivoting for opening is provided, it is likely that the sheet conveying path may not be able to be opened sufficiently wide.
Specifically, if the fulcrum of the pivoting is provided outward with respect to the opening section, it is difficult to secure a space in which the opening section pivots. On the other hand if the fulcrum of the pivoting is provided inward with respect to the opening section, a housing interferes with the sheet conveying path and makes it difficult to open the sheet conveying path sufficiently wide.